


Night Surgeon

by FandomverseOfAnthony



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fallout OCs - Freeform, Fallout Original Characters, Original Character(s), ghoul ocs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-03-05
Packaged: 2018-05-24 20:52:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6166526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomverseOfAnthony/pseuds/FandomverseOfAnthony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anthony botches a recon mission for a settlement, but is saved by a mysterious stranger.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Night Surgeon

_**This was a terrible idea** _

The words kept repeating in Anthony’s mind over and over again, like a broken record. He moved as slowly and silently through the raider camp as he could, doing his best to avoid being noticed. Despite having the cover of night, stealth was not one of his specialties, and luck was rarely in his favor when it came to situations like this. He only had himself to blame though, as a good sob story always seemed to get the best of him.

The tale is not necessarily a unique one, a settlement that just can’t seem to catch a break. Their only doctor was killed by a radscorpion, while out picking herbs. The water supply became contaminated to the point where settlers were becoming violently ill. Most of their brahmin were killed by a swarm of bloodbugs. To top it off, the settlement recently discovered that a growing camp of raiders had taken residence nearby.

Raiders are a constant that many settlers become accustomed to, but this group was different. Starting out with a campfire and a couple of psychopaths, it rapidly evolved into a camp with metals shacks surrounded by junk fences, along with even more unfriendly faces. The raiders’ progress left the inhabitants of the settlement more than concerned for their safety.

The settlers sent word for a medic, and petitioned for support from the Minutemen, but knew it may be days before they would get a response from either party. Fortunately for them, Anthony and Alaelys arrived not even a day later, trading whatever goods and services the settlement might need, in exchange for a few caps. After hearing of the settlement’s woes, Anthony offered to setup defenses against the raiders, while Alaelys offered what medical knowledge she had to assist at the clinic.

Taking advantage of what parts and scraps were lying around, while also dipping into his own stash, Anthony built a small arrangement of machine gun turrets and spotlights around the perimeter. Based on what information he was provided, he was unsure if such precautions would be enough. One can never be too careful or prepared when it came to dealing with murderous savages.

While Alaelys was busy tending to the sick and injured, Anthony departed on a recon mission, foolishly doing so without letting anyone know. He couldn’t risk the chance of someone trying to play hero, when he had no intention of going into combat himself. Traveling alone meant there was the least chance of getting caught, or anyone else getting hurt.

So far Anthony counted eight raiders, but chances are there were more out of sight, either inside of the shacks or away from camp. He had seen enough to know that he would need help. Hopefully the Minutemen would make it to the settlement before the bloodthirsty mob would decide to attack.

“Nighty night, princess!”

_**Fuck** _

Figures. Out of all of the raiders that Anthony had to miss, it just so happened to be one that would get the drop on him. He spun around, hoping to catch the person off-guard, but wasn’t quick enough. The stock of the firearm smashed right into his face, sending him reeling back. A stream of blood gushed from his nose, as his head hit the dirt. Traveling with at least one other person didn’t seem like such a bad idea anymore.

Face throbbing, heart pounding, mind racing, Anthony struggled to remain conscious. His whole world was a blur, making it difficult to get a good look at whoever assaulted him. The only thing he could make out was that the person was very tall, and built large enough to give a Yao Guai pause. The stranger grabbed Anthony by the wrist, stopping for a moment to admire the Pipboy.

“Always wanted one of these y'know. Thanks to you, looks like I’ll finally have one!” the raider said, while dragging Anthony through the dirt, towards the middle of camp. A trail of blood was left behind, his gauss rifle abandoned. Even if he could regain his composure anytime soon, he doubted that he had enough strength to take the bastard down.

Other raiders in the camp took notice of Anthony’s predicament, cheering on the one who was pulling him along. “Get back to work, ya lazy scavs!” the figure shouted to them. They quickly fell silent and returned back to their posts.

Coming to a stop just before the campfire, the raider released their grip on Anthony’s wrist. “Funny thing, I had no plans on attackin’ those settlers, at least not yet. Hell, the Wasteland seems ta be doing a good enough job killin’ ‘em off for us!” Crouching down in front of the fire with a slight chuckle, they continued, “But ya just had ta throw a wrench in the works, didn’t ya?”

“I’ll give credit where credit’s due though,” The raider confessed. “Most people go out like a light after that first hit. Not you though… Not you… I’m impressed.” They picked a stick from the dirt, tossing it into the fire, before sighing, “I’d offer ya to join with, but you seem ta be too much of a goody two-shoes ta take it.”

Although Anthony still was unable to clearly see the raider’s face, he could hear the increasing amount of anger in their voice. Their gaze into the flames became more intense “Now? Now my boys and me are gonna enter that settlement, maybe have a little fun, and torture each and every last person until they beg us ta end it!” Turning their head to face Anthony, it was obvious at this point that the raider was furious. “You… yer gonna watch the whole thing happen, knowin’ that you brought this on ‘em!” they screamed. “You’ll live, with more or less parts attached, only ta be an example of what happens when anyone ever even thinks of messin’ with me or my crew again!”

Pushing Anthony’s head as the raider stood up, they quipped, “Don’t go gettin’ any funny ideas of escapin’. Just gonna grab somethin’ real quick.”

Watching as his captor disappeared into one of the shacks, Anthony knew he had to do something, fast.

_**Get up, damnit! GET! UP!** _

He refused to be the reason why all of those settlers would die, let alone Alaelys. He would not fail them, could not fail them, now. Gathering all the strength that he could muster, Anthony stumbled back onto his feet. If he was going to die tonight, he would ensure that he took down as many of the raiders as he could, starting with the one who blindsided him. Not having enough time to grab the gauss rifle, Anthony took position on the opposite side of the doorway to the shack.

Leaving the shack, the raider was confused and irate by the disappearance of Anthony.

CRACK

Anthony’s right hook connected with his captor’s jaw, the force of the punch dislocating it. He hoped to knock the raider out completely, but settled for rendering them incapable of calling for help. They let out a muffled scream in agony, revealing the machete in their hand in the process. Swinging wildly, they were absolutely consumed with rage. Anthony was barely able to dodge each swipe, only getting grazed once on his right cheek and on his left side. He was waiting for the perfect moment to counter-attack.

Such a moment presented itself when the raider lunged forward, hoping to plunge the machete into Anthony’s chest. Shifting to the attacker’s side, he planned on using the raider’s size to his advantage. Before being able to capitalize on the opportunity, however, an elbow slammed into his gut, knocking the wind out of him.

Anthony slumped to the ground, gasping for air.

_**How can someone so large be so agile?** _

He questioned to himself, hearing the raider stomp ever closer.

The raider went to speak, but winced instead. A painful reminder of the damage that Anthony had caused. Lifting the machete high into the air, the outcome was clear. Anthony waited for the blade to fall, but there was… nothing.

The raider was clutching their bleeding throat, collapsing into a growing pool of blood. They reached an arm out to Anthony, gurgling in defiance as the life was slowly choked out of them. Although he was spared a horrific fate, he couldn’t see the one responsible for saving his neck, literally.

Anthony was spent, and on the verge of collapse, as he scanned the immediate area. Something caught the corner of his eye, a shadow moving from one raider post to the next. The figure’s movements were fluid, graceful even, as they silently cut down each raider, one by one.

Anthony had front row seats to it all, witnessing poetry in motion. A thing of absolute beauty, if it wasn’t so terrifying at the same time, as the shadow was making quick work of the camp with relative ease. He could only assume that they were on the same side in this conflict, but he inched towards his gauss rifle, just to be safe. Just before making it to “Peacemaker”, everything faded to black.

The sound of a flicking lighter snapped Anthony awake. He was back at the settlement, the clinic as far as he could tell. He felt a little groggy, but otherwise in much better shape than before, with the exception of his still pounding face. He groaned.

To his right, Anthony saw Alaelys sitting bedside, who seemed to be alternating between a look of concern and anger. Looking to his left stood a ghoul wearing a grey knit cap with a red medic symbol stitched into it, leaning against the wall while taking a drag from a cigarette.

“What you did out there was…”

“Stupid!” Alaelys interjected. She didn’t mean to be rude to the medic, but the fact that Anthony could have gotten himself killed made her very upset.

“I was going to say brave, but stupidity and bravery do tend to go hand-in-hand,” the ghoul mused, taking another drag. “Question is, why do it? You had no backup, no armor, and it certainly looked like you didn’t have much of a plan. A shit one at best. You’re lucky the settlers contacted me in the first place, only to tell me you went missing when I arrived.”

Anthony sighed, noticing that parts of him were bandaged up. “I just wanted to know what the settlement was up against, nothing more. Sadly, it all went sideways.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” the ghoul responded, putting the cigarette out in a nearby ashtray.

Anthony saw bloody tools on the surgical table, a knife was among them. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together.

“You were the one the saved me at that camp, weren’t you, Doc?” he questioned. The ghoul gave a nod before Anthony continued, “I guess that makes you just as much an angel of death, as you are an angel of mercy.”

Anthony’s words struck the ghoul, leaving the medic slightly annoyed, despite that not being his intention.

“Look, I did what had to be done. I didn’t enjoy any of it, but you left me with little choice,” the ghoul snapped.

“Hey, I… I didn’t mean to offend you. I appreciate what you did. I was just expressing how much in awe of the whole thing I was. I could have worded that better.” Anthony replied, feeling bad for upsetting him. “It seems like the ghouls here are “big damn heroes”, compared to the average human, or even other ghouls I’ve met in my travels,“ cracking a smile before adding to the story.

"First a ghoul cowboy that looks and shoots like they came straight out of an old western, then there is you, a medic than can take on an entire camp of raiders without even breaking a sweat. Where did you learn to fight like that anyways?” Anthony asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

“A ghoul cowboy, huh? Interesting…” deflecting the first question, the medic appeared intrigued for a moment by the mention of the gunslinger.

Raising a brow, Anthony asked, “You know him? He’s a bounty hunter, mostly helping out the people of the Commonwealth. He said his name was Avery. We worked together once, to take down a group of raiders that were attacking trade line caravans.”

“Nope, found that detail odd, considering that you don’t hear many stories about cowboys, especially ones that are ghouls,” the medic insisted.

Anthony felt like there was more to this person’s story, but didn’t want to pry any further. After all, he did save his life, so the least he could do was respect the ghoul’s privacy. “Fair enough. Well, I see you’ve met the incredibly beautiful love of my life, Alaelys…”

Alaelys stuck her tongue out at Anthony, before responding, “Oooh no… You’re not sweet talking your way out of this one! I’m kicking your ass when you get better!”

Anthony laughed before introducing himself, “…and the soon-to-be deadman that you saved. My name is Anthony. What’s yours, if you don’t mind me asking, or should I keep calling you Doc?”

A smirk appeared on the medic’s face before answering, “You can call me Mercy, as long as you manage to stay out of trouble.”

“Well Mercy, I can’t make any promises, but at least I know who to see if we need to be patched up.” Anthony winked, while slowly getting up out of bed. “Although you can’t put a price on a life, I will find a proper way to repay you. Until then, know that if you ever need any help, or something repaired, you let me know,” he asserted, extending a hand to Mercy.

Mercy shook his head, slightly amused, before firmly shaking Anthony’s hand. As Anthony and Alaelys prepared their things to head out, he pulled out a small bag of caps and handed it to Mercy. “This is what the settlers gave to me for helping out, but I’d say you deserve it more than I do.”

Mercy was about to protest, but Anthony waved him off, stepping out of the clinic with Alaelys. Pocketing the bag of caps, he said to himself, “Until next time…”


End file.
